Right now hubby and I are camping out in the town of Live Oak Florida right under one of the Live Oak trees the town is known for. They're named for remaining green and vibrant even in the winter when other Oak trees loose their leaves and become dormant. (Wiki link- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_oak in case you're interested.)
It's imposed camping. There are things to be done by hubby and he needs an internet connection. There is one here. He has an internet stick and could be punching keys while we roll down the road but that would involve me driving our cozy little motorhome while he does so. Apparently it is not yet cold enough in hell for that to happen. But I digress.
This post isn't about camping, it's about the joy of Furoshiki and/or things to do with a square scarf.
I discovered Furoshiki (Furrow-shiek-key) a year ago and have fallen in love with it. It is basically the Japanese art of maniplulating cloth for practical purposes. It was used throughout history but, like hemp, almost went the way of the Dodo when plastic was invented. Now the Japanese government is trying to increase awareness of it so people stop using plastic bags. Sounds like something everyone could use!
My favorite-right-now scarf is one I bought for $2.00 at a flea market. It's polyester, 40" square, and I've used it almost to rags in a very short time. That is to be expected for the price and for all I've put it through. I bought at the flea market so I'd have something to carry my other purchases in. (The new purse I decided I needed had not yet been found. See October 4. And yes, the new one will carry the Netbook quite well!)
The Scarf and the bag. Great combination, eh?
So I was carrying the scarf over my shoulder as a purse when I entered an actual-for-real purse shop. (Uncharted territory for someone who compulsively makes their own everything.) The saleslady loved it so much that I showed her how to tie it. She went and told her boss, who also got a demonstration. That lead to the joyful unpacking of a new shipment because they knew there was inventory in there that matched the scarf perfectly. Oh happy day!
Here's the Furoshiki wrap that I used.
There are a LOT more things to do with scarfs on this website:
http://xorsyst.com/japan/how-to-tie-furoshiki/
I used that scarf, as I said, almost to it's demise. I even used it today to get a fold-up chair on my bike!
Good thing there wasn't much traffic. The chair stuck out a fair way!
I have squares of cloth that range in size from a Bandana to Shawl and all do double duty as 'whatever' when I need them to morph into something else. It's a quirk of mine to whip off my scarf at the grocery store and tie it into a shipping bag while I'm waiting for the cashier to put everything through the till. Now that's compulsive crafting!
Hugs all,
M
